European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Union (EU) will develop a new tool to swiftly block access to the bloc’s market in the event of a trade war, according to TRT World.

“We will develop a new instrument for decisive action by limiting access to the single market where this is in the union’s interests fast and immediately,” she told reporters after EU leaders met in Brussels. Von der Leyen said the EU’s trade deficit with China reached 1 billion euros per day in 2025 and warned that the imbalance was expected to worsen in 2026.